Chelsea Business Alliance planning two-day festival for next year

View full sizeChelsea Business Alliance President Ben Smith talks to members and guests at the group's monthly lunch meeting at City Hall in Chelsea on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2013. (Martin J. Reed / mreed@al.com)

CHELSEA, Alabama -- The newly formed Chelsea Business
Alliance is working on doubling its membership to reach 40 by year's end while it develops other big plans including a Fourth of July run and
a two-day festival next year.

The Chelsea Business Alliance, consisting of proprietors
in the Shelby County community along U.S. Highway 280, will hold a 5K run to
benefit the Wounded Warrior Project on July 4. "That run will also bring people
into Chelsea who need to do commerce that day," organization president Ben Smith
said during the group's monthly meeting today.

The group's other big announcement was the development of
a festival of some type happening next year in Chelsea. When asked
about the event's theme, Smith responded, "That's all to be worked out."

"We're going to have a festival. It's going to be a
two-day event here in Chelsea, and it's going to be in the next 365 days," Smith
said. Many of the details have not been finalized, but the gathering will be "major
fundraiser for us" as the Chelsea Business Alliance, he added.

Today's meeting was the second for the Chelsea Business
Alliance, which is working to promote local businesses and opportunities for
them in the area. "Our main purpose is to be an advocate for our businesses
here in Chelsea," Smith said in an interview.

The organization acts as a liaison with local government
and is working to "create opportunity for business development and enhancements
through networking and other business building opportunities," he said.

The Chelsea Business Alliance is not trying to replicate
a Chamber of Commerce. "We're here to make the business environment in the
Chelsea area better for both the business
owners and the business patrons," Smith said.

As an example, he pointed to the new Applebee's that is
coming to Chelsea on U.S. Highway 280 near Walgreen's. "While that is
wonderful, what is that going to do with our current established businesses
here that can't compete with that national chain?" he said.

The Chelsea Business Alliance can help promote specials
that its other member restaurants may offer in the area. "These will be things
going forward we're going to sit down with our members and look at," Smith
said.

The Chelsea Business Alliance has a nine-member board of
directors. The group meets the second Wednesday of each month.